The final result of Graham Potter‘s first game in charge of Chelsea was a frustrating 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg but what was quickly clear was that he has wasted little time starting to put his stamp on his new team.
Less than a week into the job and some of Potter’s tweaks were clear to see, from defensive changes to playing Raheem Sterling in an unfamiliar wing-back position and a positive outlook on the sidelines.
Here, Sportsmail takes a look at some of the differences in Chelsea on Potter’s debut.
Graham Potter’s first game in charge of Chelsea was a frustrating 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg but it is clear he has wasted little time starting to put his stamp on his new team
Raheem Sterling scored his fourth in five games but the Austrian side pegged back the Blues
Formation changes
Graham Potter was known at Brighton for, among other things, his tactical versatility and that continued in his first game at Chelsea.
There were a variety of ways his selection could have lined up to start with but it proved to be a back three, of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella, full-backs predominantly in their careers, either side of Thiago Silva.
Further forward there was an element of flexibility with Jorginho, the deepest midfielder, dropping back to help out, Reece James, when keeping an eye on his direct opponent, occasionally did the same to make the backline look like a four.
At times Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were a front pair, at others the former was playing off the latter.
And as the game wore on Chelsea’s setup was adapted accordingly as Potter made changes until it was understandably kitchen-sink time as Chelsea chased a winner in the final stages.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (above) played in a fluid front two with fellow forward Kai Havertz
Defensive shape
How they were positioned stood out, in possession regularly forming a triangle with Silva the deepest point and last man with Azpilicueta and Cucurella ahead on either side of him and primed to defend on the front foot.
They played their part in Chelsea’s attempts to push up and pin RB Salzburg into their own territory. There were times when one wrong move could have left them, and Silva in particular, exposed but for most of the game they avoided trouble.
And the fact Silva was coping so well made his slip for Salzburg’s 75th minute equaliser all the more frustrating as he had dealt coolly and classily with far trickier situations earlier in…